Latest developments:
- Ukraine’s president says his country is ready for peace talks with Russia, but not in Belarus – describing the country as a staging ground for Putin’s invasion
- Foreign secretary Liz Truss has said the Government is “urgently” looking at what more it can do to enable refugees from the fighting in Ukraine to come to Britain
- She said she would “absolutely” support British nationals who choose to go to Ukraine to help fight after the country’s president called on foreigners who wanted to take up arms to come forward
- The Government has faced intense criticism over its failure so far to relax the visa requirements for Ukrainian nationals
- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said more than 200,000 people have arrived in neighbouring countries from Ukraine
- Ukrainian forces in the capital Kyiv have engaged in fighting with Russian “sabotage groups” for the second night in a row
- After facing strong resistance in the Chernihiv area, Russian forces are bypassing the area and heading towards Kyiv
- Artillery exchanges and fighting has erupted in Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv
- Russian forces are continuing to advance into Ukraine from multiple directions
- In a phone call with Boris Johnson, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked him for support in enhancing the country’s military capabilities
The Home Office is facing calls to ease the route for refugees coming to the UK fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Labour shadow foreign minister David Lammy called for a simplified refugee programme for Ukrainians.
He told ITV News: “Having a Home Office minister suggesting that the way through is having people come here as fruit pickers is frankly obscene.”
The Government has faced intense criticism over its failure so far to relax the visa requirements for Ukrainian nationals.
In a Twitter exchange with Labour MP Luke Pollard, Kevin Foster, parliamentary under-secretary of state for safe and legal migration, suggested a possible route for Ukrainians fleeing the conflict was through the seasonal worker scheme.
In a since-deleted tweet, Foster wrote: “As you will be well aware there are a number of routes, not least our seasonal worker scheme you will recall from your shadow DEFRA days, which Ukrainians can qualify for, alongside the family route for those with relatives here.”
Pollar said this was “painfully unaware and unkind”.
Home secretary Priti Patel accused Lammy of “appalling misinformation at a time of international crisis” and pointed towards the Government’s guidance website for family members of British nationals in Ukraine, and Ukrainian nationals in Ukraine and the UK.
Temporary visa concessions have been introduced for family members of British nationals who usually live in Ukraine.
A Home Office update said: “The UK has multiple official visa routes available for Ukrainians who are not dependants of British nationals.
“Ukrainians who reach neighbouring countries can access UK Visa Application Centres there.
“Our VAC (Visa Application Centre) in Kyiv closed following Russia’s attack on the city.
“Our VAC in Lviv remains open and our priority is to deal with family members of UK nationals in Ukraine.
“More staff have been surged to VACs in the region.”
A Scottish man and his family have fled from the invasion into Poland along with more than 100,000 people as fighting broke out on the streets.
ITVForeign secretary Liz Truss has said the Government is “urgently” looking at what more it can do to enable refugees from the fighting in Ukraine to come to Britain.
The Government has faced intense criticism over its failure so far to relax the visa requirements for Ukrainian nationals.
Truss told the BBC’s Sunday Morning programme: “It is a desperate situation.
“Of course, Britain has always welcomed refugees fleeing from war and we are urgently looking at what more we can do to facilitate that.”
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